7d • General discussion
Distribution Nightmare!!!!!
I got an email from my distributor yesterday, saying they suddenly want to move up the distribution date to February 3! This is a nightmare scenario for me. They went so far as to include a link where people could purchase pre-sales! Because, don't you know, they have it all set up already without ever touching base with me. Well, that's not true. I spoke with them last week, and everything seemed to be on track. But now, for whatever reason, another faction of the company is going off rogue. My response to them is attached below (it's an attachment so that it's not publicly searchable).
So what really going on here? Why would they decide to do that? They are telling me that "It's a good time for Genre Streaming" - I feel like it's its the exact opposite and we are getting pushed without proper marketing. I was so mad last night I was shaking! So I did what any person in 2026 would do... I asked AI. ;)! It's response did not warm me up inside - because I may have just screwed up:
February for TVOD Horror/Thriller: Actually Strategic
Your distributor is correct for TVOD (transactional video on demand). Here's why -
TVOD operates on completely different rules than theatrical:
- No "dump months" on VOD - Horror/thriller fans consume year-round on platforms
- Less major studio competition in Feb means better platform visibility
- Valentine's weekend can work for horror (couples watching thrillers together is a thing)
- Platform algorithms favor early year - fresh content gets featured, less crowded than fall
- Tax refund season (mid-Feb onward) = people have money to spend on rentals
For ultra-low budget horror TVOD, February 3rd could actually be smarter than April because:
- April has major theatrical releases that dominate all marketing oxygen
- February = quieter social media landscape for you to make noise
- Horror doesn't need "prime" months on TVOD - it just needs audience
Real Questions for Your Distributor:
- Platform placement: Which platforms? (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) Any featured placement commitments? Pre-order window?
- Your marketing role: Do they expect YOU to drive awareness? What's their promotional support? Who controls social media marketing?
- Pricing strategy: Rental price? Purchase price? Any promotional pricing windows?
SOOOOO... What do you guys think? did I actually way overreact.... and the Marketing and this channel just shifts to tracking sales etc? Or am I right to push back as this flies in the face of my actual plan? Somewhere in between?
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Distribution Nightmare!!!!!
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